How I Got Back to Pokémon This Summer

I am THE Pokémon generation. Born in 88, my imagination was ripe when Red and Blue launched in North America. I’ve played every main entry since and I don’t ever plan on stopping. I still remember Pokémon league at Toy Works (R.I.P.) and trading with a link cable. I’ve even won money playing Pokémon competitively. There was a time when I knew the exact stats of 150+ Pokémon. Yes, that’s a lot of Pokémon... and yes, I am bragging.

Then a game called Hearthstone came along. It’s also easy to learn, hard to master, and good for short bursts or long gaming sessions. Unfortunately for my Pokémon street cred, Hearthstone was just a little more shiny than Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

I also recently got an Xbox One with Destiny and Halo. In the words of the Legendary Saba, “Grind don’t stop…”

I’m aware that I can play multiple games, but I’m the type of person that gets quite focused on one thing when I have a goal in mind. I knew I would be back into Pokémon at some point. I just didn’t know when and I wasn’t going to force it. These relationships have to be more natural. So what did it take me to get back into Pokémon?

1. I went on a road trip! I traveled and got away from the PC and console space. Hearthstone plays well on my Macbook and iPhone, but it’s just not the same for me. While we were driving down bland roads or during the night when everything was dark, I’d pull out my 3DS and play Pokémon.
2. I was with my best friend, @DJMornin, who also loves Pokémon. He was about as far as I was so it created great conversations in the car. We laughed about the story and talked new strategies made possible with Pokémon ORAS. It was great!
3. We were in New York City for 3 days. It only makes sense that we visited the Nintendo World Store. There was Pokémon swag galore and I even got approached by a stranger for a battle. Just like the game, I walked in front of him and he challenged me to a duel. Unlike the game, I lost. He kept apologizing for the spanking he was giving me and my Pokémon. I wasn’t mad that he was beating me. I love a good challenge and there’s much to learn from someone who can dismantle your team. I did get pissed that he wouldn’t shut up. What did I do in response after the battle? Play more Pokémon.
4. The Pokémon National Championship took place over my vacation. I’ve been twice before and it’s an amazing experience. Watching the streams and seeing my friends in pictures from the event definitely rekindled fond memories. If I wasn’t on a road trip, I would have been in Indianapolis, Indiana cheering for the underdogs. If you consider yourself a Pokémon fan of any kind, I highly suggest going to Nationals next year!
5. I used Pokémon I’ve never used before. The hardest Pokémon I trained this time around was Grimer. Grimer’s base stats are poor and it doesn’t evolve until level 38, but I’m glad I now know what it’s like to have one on my team. My final team consisted of Sceptile, Latias, Kyogre, Gardevoir, Absol, and Luxray. I know it’s Uber heavy, but Kyogre was the only water Pokémon I caught that I haven’t trained yet besides Lombre and I wasn’t about to have two grass Pokémon. That’s just insane.

There you have it. I beat the game and I’m back on my grind. If you’re struggling to beat Pokémon ORAS or any Pokémon game for that matter, just go on a road trip with your best friend (or friends) during Nationals.

The original Dear Backlog crew at Nationals 2010.

Sincerely,

@drockalexander

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy 3DS Demo Review 9/10

    I was up until 2:30am last night. Let me put this in perspective for you a little bit. I just went back to work from a much needed 10 day winter vacation on Thursday. During that “anything-goes” break, I did all the things that help me relax; read, write, record, exercise, and of course, play games. When taking out the nights that I was out on the town, the number of times that I stayed up past 1am during that break tallies up to a big fat whopping zero. In fact, I haven’t stayed up playing games that late in about 2 months. I’ve noticed this about myself and had decided that it was because I’ve become more responsible for my sleeping schedule and I’m just generally “growing up”. After playing the Bravely Default: Flying Fairy Demo, I’ve realized that I just haven’t had a game that I literally couldn’t put down in a while.

    I’ll start with what originally piqued my interest about this game; the art. As soon as I saw the first Nintendo Direct Trailer for BDFF, I knew it was a game I had to keep my eye on. Not only was it a turn-based RPG, but the graphics were lush with color and character. The graphics aren’t similiar to Ni No Kuni, but like that game, BDFF could win players over with it’s looks alone. Going into the demo, I felt I knew what I was getting into as far as graphics went, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. BDFF is a game that makes holding your 3DS at awkward angles 10 inches in front of your face worth it. The 3D implementation in this demo is seen throughout and it is indeed a treat I have not experienced anywhere else. That’s right folks! There are still unique experiences to be had in gaming. The cities come to life like pop-up storybooks. The clouds move along your screen as if you could reach into the 3DS and feel the water vapor. The battles take place on a proscenium stage where you’re sitting front row. After every flourish of the graphics, you can’t help but smile and give a standing ovation in your head.

(I could go on and on about the graphics but it’s better you just see it for yourself. Keep in mind that you won’t get the 3D experience from the trailer or screen shots. I want to stress that this game is one you have to see in 3D.)

    The battle system is introduced fairly fast in the demo. Having played many an RPG in my day, I had no problem jumping into it and running with two small daggers. But there were times when I didn’t know how a certain stat affected my choices. For example, it was never explained in the demo whether an A or S rank was better for weapon proficiency. From experience in other games and from visual cues, S seemed to be better. But when I asked the game to equip my characters automatically using optimum settings it would often pick a weapon with a proficiency of B or C etc.

    The actual battles are typical turn-based RPG gameplay a la games like Golden Sun where you select all your party actions first and then watch them play out against your opponents. The two things that make BDFF different from those games are the customization and the Brave/Default system.

    Customization in the game is a major hook because right at the beginning of the demo you have full control over what classes your party is going to consist of. They give you 8 classes to choose from and you can switch any of your character’s classes at anytime outside of battle. Having played many hours of Dragon Quest IX, I know how fun this can be when the game gives you creative freedom over what abilites you learn. Many games such as Final Fantasy Tactics have done this before and it looks like they’ve successfully incorporated it into this game. I’m particularly happy that I no longer have to stop what I’m doing and visit some random npc to change my class.

    The Brave/Default system is most interesting and must be very important judging by the fact that it’s in the title. Basically during battle, along with standard actions like “Attack” or “Items”, you also have “Brave” and “Default”. When you select Default, your character will defend during that turn and as a bonus, get an extra action stored for use in subsequent turns. When you select Brave that’s when you get to use that extra action. For example, if my character selects Default on his first turn, then on my second turn I have the option of attacking twice using Brave. It’s kind of complicated to explain, but I assure you it’s a welcome addition to the genre as I’ve seen nothing like it.

    I haven’t forgotten this is a demo review, although it would be easy to do so because the demo is presented so well. Playing demos for RPG’s has always been weird since the days of the PS1. Generally they would just throw you into the game about 30 minutes in when battles actually start taking place. I know I’ve even skipped RPG Demos because I didn’t want any of the story to be spoiled… ahem Mass Effect 2. But BDFF really pulls out the trump card by not giving you much story at all and even stating that the quests in the demo don’t appear in the full retail release. They also let you know that by playing the demo you will unlock gear and upgrades that will help you in the early parts of the full game. It generally only takes me a couple hours max playing the demo to know if I’ll be purchasing the game, but the BDFF Demo gives you reason to go beyond just that. I’ve clocked over 5 hours now and while I’m playing to have a headstart when the game comes out, I’m also having lots of fun. That’s important too.

    I could go on and on about this game. I wasn’t even able to touch on the music or the online character sharing or the robust streetpass feature that will have me leaving my 3DS on while traveling… please just listen to our podcast to find out more on those features. Simply put, the Bravely Default: Flying Fairy Demo has not only sold me the game, but if this was my first foray on a 3DS at a friends house or at a local game store, it would have sold me a 3DS.

    The Bravely Default: Flying Fairy Demo receives a much deserved 9/10. It’s one of the best demos I’ve ever played, and if it wasn’t for the confusion I had with the stats, the menus, and the small grinding that asks you to streetpass, it would have received a perfect score.

    I had already planned on purchasing this game, but it’s now going to get a pre-order. I’ll be getting the normal version but there is a collector’s edition that will probably be very limited so jump on that if you’re interested.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy launches in the U.S. on February 7, 2014 for Nintendo 3DS at 39.99 for the Standard Edition and 54.99 for the Collector’s Edition.

/cheers

Derrick Bettis        Class:    Chiefly-Editor        Level:    99

Stats:

Hours played:               4

% spent with 3D on:    63%

3DS colour:                 Flame Red

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Xbox 360 Demo Review 8/10

Over the last decade, Sega hasn’t been able to get a regular Sonic game right, but every time they make an All-Stars game they win gold. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed looks to follow this new tradition. The Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo is a straight to the fun test drive that gives the nostalgic arcade racer a new game to get excited about.

Most critics nowadays don’t like “Sonic” games, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like Sonic and the cast of characters that follow him around. The first thing you’ll notice about this demo is the way it takes full advantage of not only the flagship hedgehog IP, but also every other IP Sega has. Every course seems to be tailored after a specific Sega game world. In the demo you get to race on a Panzer Dragoon course and a Golden Axe course. I doubt fans of those games will be drawn to this game just because of a course or character from their favorite game, but regardless it really infuses the world of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed with unique backdrop and characters. Just like Mario Kart draws from its lush Nintendo library, Sega does the same with equal or dare I say better success.

Just like any great arcade racer you remember continuing countless times, this one follows the same formula. I’ve already said how the roster and courses harken back to the old days. It seems everything else does too. When you first start the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo you’re met with an intense cut scene of the cast racing with power-ups and flashy colors accompanied by a zany instrumental. The colors jump out from the screen and at first, just like the music, it seems to be too much. After playing the demo for about 5 minutes, you quickly realize the whole game seems too much, but then you’re overpowered by the nostalgia of the game, and just as quickly, you buckle yourself in.

In the demo they give you unlimited access to a regular race and a time trial, either of which can be played on an easy, medium, or hard difficulty. These are perfect for a demo, though I found the time trial to be too difficult even on easy. I finally beat the time trial on easy when after about ten tries I found out that you basically had to take the shortcut. I hope that doesn’t continue in the rest of the game.

There was a redeeming factor that could have helped me overcome this challenge that should be looked into further for the full game. In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed you can level up your characters after gaining experience in the races. I’m guessing that if I would have leveled up in the full game, I would have been able to beat this time trial easier. They don’t give you the ability to toy with the character growth mechanic in the demo, but I hope they put enough depth into it so the game can have even more mileage than it already seems to have.

The racing in the game is basically a carbon copy of Mario Kart. I’m not saying that in a particularly bad way, because they do it well and it’s fun. The way Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed attempts to differentiate itself is in the automatic transformation of your vehicles. This does give the game a distinct flare as you’re forced to adjust on the fly. I’m curious as to how this gameplay mechanic will pan out in competitive multiplayer. I was good at driving all the vehicle types except the planes, and someone may be able to edge me out in a race because of this.

At the end of the demo when I tried to exit the game, I was forced to watch a trailer I already voluntarily watched no more than 30 seconds prior. When demos make you do anything like that, it’s always an annoyance, though a small one.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo clocks in at an 8/10. It’s a solid demo that does the trick by simply offering you fun. If you’re into arcade racers, the Sega Brand, or just having a good time, then Sega All-Star Racing Transformed is definitely worth the download.

After playing the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo, sadly, I would not buy the game. The demo is great, but essentially we have played this game before. I would recommend it to die-hard arcade racing fans, but with a backlog like we have, it’s a pretty easy pass.

I would buy this game if it was $15 and I had a child who I could play alongside with. At this point in my life, I have neither of those.

-lvl 99